Problem: Determine where $f(x)$ intersects the $x$ -axis. $f(x) = (x + 3)^2 - 49$
Solution: The function intersects the $x$ -axis where $f(x) = 0$ , so solve the equation: $ (x + 3)^2 - 49 = 0$ Add $49$ to both sides so we can start isolating $x$ on the left: $ (x + 3)^2 = 49$ Take the square root of both sides to get rid of the exponent. $ \sqrt{(x + 3)^2} = \pm \sqrt{49}$ Be sure to consider both positive and negative $7$ , since squaring either one results in $49$ $ x + 3 = \pm 7$ Subtract $3$ from both sides to isolate $x$ on the left: $ x = -3 \pm 7$ Add and subtract $7$ to find the two possible solutions: $ x = 4 \text{or} x = -10$